


per aspera ad astra

by wichahpi



Series: Elate Week 2016 [3]
Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 12:54:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8328733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wichahpi/pseuds/wichahpi
Summary: In which Nate feels a bit like a failure.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For Elate Week: **October 19th {Day Three}** \- Broken || Hurt; _everything I touch turns to shit_

As Nate stares at the absolute _wreckage_ surrounding him, he’s overpowered by the feeling of utter defeat. Even the knowledge that he had tried using the full extent of his capabilities didn’t soften the blow of defeat. After all – it didn’t mean much, not if he still failed. 

“I can’t believe this.” He says incredulously, kicking idly at a tiny piece of green foliage that he could _swear_ was mocking him and is efforts. 

“Nate.” Elena says patiently from the doorway, where she’d been silently keeping watch for the last few minutes – since Cassie ran over and got her from the office, declaring that her father was losing it over colored bricks. “Quit looking like Vicky when we don’t feed her from the table. It’s a Lego set, not the Ark.”

“It’s not just the Legos.” Nate says moodily, nudging what looks like a giant Lego skull with his foot. “It’s my curse. I’m forever doomed to cause as much damage as humanly possible wherever I go.”

“Oh, come on, Nate.” Elena laughs taking the few steps from the doorway to where he stands in Cassie’s bedroom. “You’re not that bad.”

“Yeah? Oh yeah? Tell that to the microwave I _murdered_ in that hotel in Rome.”

“It was old.” Elena dismisses, rubbing his bicep comfortingly. “It was bound to go at any time, whether or not you decided to defrost some frozen grapes in it or not.”

“What about that glass door, huh? The one I ran right into and _cracked_ after our budget meeting?”

“Well, they should be flattered by how clean it was. Even _I_ didn’t realize the door was closed.” Elena pats his shoulder comfortingly. “Besides, it’s not like the network couldn’t afford to replace it.”

“And that time I broke an entire baby changing station off of a wall _with our baby still on top of it_.”

Elena sighs. “Cassie was fine, that bathroom hadn’t been updated in two decades, and your reflexes were so quick I’m sure she didn’t even notice.”

“That’s not the point.” Nate says gloomily. “Remember when I tripped over my own feet and completely destroyed an Early Minoan vase we’d spent an entire day cleaning up? While we were filming the show, no less.”

“Okay, that one was pretty terrible.” Elena admits with a slight laugh. “But you’re really not _that_ bad, so please quit beating yourself up over things you can’t always control. Sometimes, stuff just gets broken. It’s just a coincidence that you’re usually there to witness it.” 

“How can you say that?” Nate gives her a look. “You’ve seen me destroy no less than _three_ lost archaeological wonders, four if we’re including Indiana Jones’s Lego Temple of Doom. Not to mention the wing that I broke off her Space Shuttle last week.” 

Seeing that she’s not going to get anywhere, she links her arm through his and tugs him out of their daughter’s room and away from the offending Lego pieces. “Come on. Why don’t you take Vicky for a run on the beach, get out some of that pent-up energy.”

He glances at the end of the hallway where Vicky lays on the floor, looking utterly disinterested in everything around her. “Are you talking about me or the dog?”

“Go.” She laughs, pushing at his chest lightly and directing him towards Vicky’s leash. “And tell Cassie to come inside. We’ll take care of things here.”

“Fine.” Nate pouts, grabbing the leash and a waste bag from the shelf, pecking a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

And when Nate returns home with a lightened spirit and sand in his shoes just over an hour later, the entire Temple Escape set is assembled on the kitchen table. He releases Vicky from her leash and walks further into the house to find Elena and Cassie cuddled on the couch together, giggling at something on the laptop.

“Dad.” Cassie manages to snort between fits of laughter. “You really smashed a priceless Minoan vase because your shoelaces were untied?”

He cocks his head at Elena, who is hiding her own grin behind the heel of her hand. “Really? You showed her that? I thought that you promised me that footage would never see the light of day.”

Elena bites her lip and gives him an apologetic look. “Yeah, about that-“

“But dad, your _face_.” Cassie giggles. “Besides, it’s almost dark outside, so technically it hasn’t seen the light of day yet. And those promises don’t apply to your only child, anyways. I have family privilege.”

Nate tries to glare at her but eventually gives up with a sigh and sinks down on the couch beside his girls. “Rewind it again, let me see.”

“Okay, but only if you admit that it’s actually kind of funny.” Cassie bargains. “Mom told me you’re feeling a little Tasmanian Devil-ish.”

“Fine.” He grunts, making a face when Elena plays the old footage. It was from one of their early episodes, and he can’t help but smile when he sees Elena talking to the camera, a much smaller, sleeping Cassie tucked against her chest in a sling. 

“I was so cute.” Cassie remarks. “The cutest, probably.”

“Probably.” Elena snorts, eyes on Nate as his face softens at Cassie’s tiny cry. 

The camera pans over to Nate, who’s attempting to bring the vase in question over to one of the tables they’d set up underneath a canvas tent. Only he doesn’t look where he’s going, and his foot slips just enough in a rut and his shoelace gets tangled underneath him. He attempts to regain his balance but over corrects, and he falls face-first to the ground, crushing the ancient vase he was holding between his chest and the dirt.

Cassie bursts into a fit of giggles at the sight of Nate’s expression as he realizes what he’s done. 

_“Oh my god, Nate-“_ Nate hears his wife’s voice out of frame. _“Are you alright?”_

He hears his own sheepish reply. _“Yeah, but, uh...this vase has seen better days.”_

 _“Well, shit.”_ Elena, again. She walks into frame and surveys the damage, one hand on Cassie's back as she extends her free arm out to Nate. _“Think the viewers will notice if we just glue it back together?”_

Nate can’t help the laugh that erupts from him as he watches them tease each other, feels his heart squeeze a bit when younger Nate gets to his feet and immediately kisses the soft dark hair of baby Cassie’s head.

“Oh man, mom, why didn’t this get put in the episode?” Cassie asks as soon as she’s stopped laughing. “This is comedic _gold_.”

“Your dad threatened to, well - “ She tells her daughter ruefully. “Never mind. You probably don’t want to hear about that stuff.”

“Okay, ew.” Cassie wrinkles her freckled nose in disgust and jumps to her feet. “And on that note, goodnight you old weirdos.”

“Night, Cass.” Elena grins at her daughter’s retreating back.

“Sweet dreams, kiddo.” Nate teases. 

“Gross!” Cassie yells from down the hall. “You guys are gross!”

“You’re here because we’re gross!” Nate yells back. 

The sound of Cassie’s door shutting loudly ends the conversation, and Elena smothers her laughter in Nate’s arm. 

“I thought I just threatened to erase all of your saved games?” Nate asks her quietly as moves to the space Cassie vacated, and Elena immediately snuggles into his side.

“Like you could figure out how to work my PlayStation if your life depended on it.” Elena reminds him with a grin. “Besides, we have to keep her on her toes. She's too smart.”

Nate hums in agreement. “ _That_ we can agree on. Hey, any word on that Space Camp thingy?”

“Space Academy.” Elena corrects. “And yep, but she doesn’t want to open the letter until Sam and Sully get here tomorrow.” 

“She totally got it.” Nate says with confidence. “Of course she got in.”

“They sent me an email.” Elena grins secretively. “Looks like we’re taking a two week vacation to the States this summer.”

Nate kisses her head gently. “Our kid’s pretty great.”

“See? Not everything you make turns out all bad.” She teases, nudging him with her shoulder. “But maybe from now on, leave assembling anything with complicated instructions to someone who’s actually going to _read_ them.”

“Now where’s the fun in that?”


End file.
